I am pleased to announce Carl Lejuez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, as our interim provost and executive vice chancellor. Carl will begin his new role April 30 as current provost Neeli Bendapudi leaves KU to become president of the University of Louisville.

Carl came to KU in 2016 from the University of Maryland, where he served as a professor of psychology and associate dean of research for the college of behavioral and social sciences. Since arriving at KU, he has further established himself as a skilled administrator and a respected leader. His experience with the College — our largest and most diverse academic unit — positions him to continue ongoing Provost Office initiatives while also pursuing new strategies on behalf of our university. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber serving as interim provost, and I am confident our university will benefit from his leadership.

Carl’s new role will require him to name an interim dean of the College. That announcement is expected within a week.

Please join me in welcoming Carl to his new role. I look forward to working with him — and all of you — to move the university forward.

The mission of the University of Kansas is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities, and making discoveries that change the world.

We will do that by raising the expectations we have for ourselves, the aspirations we have for our state, and the hopes we have for our world.

KU is in the midst of a comprehensive effort to ensure the university is ranked among the top tier of public international research universities.

ThroughBold Aspirations, our strategic plan, we're changing the way we prepare students for success. We're fostering research and scholarship across all disciplines. And we're sharing the benefits of a flagship university with our state and world.